Becomes One Hundred Stories #32: Increases its Faith

Increases its Faith

The woman’s beast ran into the forest.

The woman’s beast ran from the place where the woman lived with the man at the top of the hill, and it ran into the forest. The forest where the woman’s beast could feel safe. Safe from all the human beasts it had to suffer outside the forest.

The woman’s beast did not like the man.

The woman’s beast did not like the man because it knew the man did not like the woman’s beast.

The woman’s beast did not like the man, but it could tolerate the man. The man sometimes fed the woman’s beast, so the man was not all bad. The man was not all bad, so the woman’s beast could tolerate the man. The woman’s beast could tolerate the man much better than it could tolerate the other human beast that lived nearby. The other human beast whom the woman’s beast had to suffer. Even though the woman’s beast did not like the man and knew that the man did not like it, the woman’s beast could tolerate the man, and it knew the man could tolerate it. But the woman’s beast could not tolerate the other human beast that lived nearby.

The other human beast who was much worse than the man came closer, so the woman’s beast ran into the forest.

The woman’s beast ran into the forest, and the other human beast who was worse than the man did not follow.

The woman’s beast ran deep into the forest and found a place to lie down. It found a place to lie down, and it lay down. The woman’s beast lay down beside a stream, and the woman’s beast forgot about human beasts. Human beasts it could tolerate and human beasts it could not tolerate. Whether the woman’s beast could tolerate the human beasts or not, it forgot about them.

The woman’s beast did not fall asleep. The woman’s beast often fell asleep when it ran deep into the forest and found a place to lie down. But this time the woman’s beast did not fall asleep. This time the woman’s beast did not fall asleep because it saw another beast of its kind.

The other beast of its kind asked the woman’s beast what it was doing in the forest.

The woman’s beast said it was lying down.

The other beast asked why.

The woman’s beast asked the other beast of its kind why it asked so many questions.

The other beast said the woman’s beast did not have to be like that.

The woman’s beast said no, it didn’t have to.

The other beast and the woman’s beast left it at that.

The woman’s beast asked the other beast of its kind if it was the same beast it had seen sometimes down in the village far past the bottom of the hill.

The other beast said no but its brother lived there and he was probably the beast that the woman’s beast was thinking about.

The woman’s beast asked the other beast of its kind where it lived.

The other beast said it lived in the forest.

The woman’s beast asked who fed it.

The other beast said the great beast in the sky.

The woman’s beast did not know what to say. Then the woman’s beast knew what to say, but it said it without thinking. The woman’s beast said did the great beast in the sky really exist.

The other beast looked at the woman’s beast. It looked at the woman’s beast and said of course.

The woman’s beast said what did the great beast in the sky look like.

The other beast said the great beast was indescribable.

The woman’s beast said that sounded like a convenient description.

The other beast said convenient for what.

The woman’s beast said for describing something that does not exist.

The other beast said it was also the way to describe something that did exist but was indescribable.

The woman’s beast asked the other beast of its kind if it could show it the great beast in the sky.

The other beast said not directly.

The woman’s beast said that sounded like a convenient answer.

The other beast said don’t start that again.

The woman’s beast said then do or say something to show that the great beast in the sky really existed.

The other beast said follow me.

The woman’s beast followed.

The other beast led the woman’s beast to a place where they could eat as much food as they wanted. And they ate as much food as they wanted. After they had eaten as much food as they wanted, the other beast asked the woman’s beast if it was satisfied.

The woman’s beast said sure. It said it hadn’t eaten so much in a long time.

The other beast said no, not was its hunger satisfied, but was its doubt about the existence of the great beast in the sky satisfied.

The woman’s beast said what did the great beast in the sky have to do with the great amount of food.

The other beast said the great beast in the sky had put the food there.

The woman’s beast asked if the other beast of its kind had seen the great beast in the sky put the food there.

The other beast said the woman’s beast did not have much faith did it.

The woman’s beast said it had great faith in the woman, and even some faith in the man even though the man did not like it.

The other beast said humans were the worst beasts. It said the woman’s beast should put its faith in the great beast in the sky.

The woman’s beast asked what would happen if it did.

The other beast said the woman’s beast would be much happier.

The woman’s beast said it was already happy.

The other beast said maybe, but no beast could be truly happy without faith in the great beast in the sky.

The woman’s beast said how did the other beast know.

The other beast said because it had asked for a companion, and the great beast in the sky had delivered the woman’s beast into the forest to be the other beast’s companion.

The woman’s beast said companion for what.

The other beast told the woman’s beast for what.

The woman’s beast said it didn’t do such things with strangers.

The other beast said come on. It said that was the way to true satisfaction. It said hadn’t the woman’s beast ever wanted to try it human style.

The woman’s beast turned to leave the other beast of its kind. The woman’s beast told the other beast of its kind what made it think it hadn’t already tried it human style.

And the woman’s beast left the other beast of its kind, and it left the forest, and it returned to the place where it lived with the woman in the place where the man lived at the top of the hill.

The man was waiting for the woman’s beast, and the man gave food to the woman’s beast. The woman’s beast could see the man, and it could taste the food the man gave it. And even though the man was cold and distant, and even though the woman’s beast still knew the man did not like it, the woman’s beast’s faith in the man grew. And it was satisfied.